Day 946 - Bread & circuses - https://golifelog.com/posts/bread-and-circuses-1691118168045
We like to blame social media and junk food for our decline, but this quote from Cicero gave me pause for thought:
> "The evil was not in the bread and circuses, per se, but in the willingness of the people to sell their rights as free men for full bellies and the excitement of the games which would serve to distract them from the other human hungers which bread and circuses can never appease." – Cicero
Spot on.
Because blaming social media and junk food is just externalising the problem isn't it?
Don't like the toxicity of social media? Spending too much time doomscrolling? Just apply some mindfulness. Timebox your usage. Find something more interesting to do. Call someone close you've not spoken to for a long time.
Hate junk food but can't stop? Apply some mindfulness. Buy less so that you don't see it around the house. Replace it with healthier alternatives so that you can only eat those. Stop watching media that tries to convince you it's okay.
I know, there's a lot of money put into influencing and brianwashing us otherwise. Sometimes it's hard to stop from individual effort alone.
But that's exactly what having freedom means, isn't it? The exercise of it is not always easy. But the best things in life are hard-won, and savoured due to that.
> "The evil was not in the bread and circuses, per se, but in the willingness of the people to sell their rights as free men for full bellies and the excitement of the games which would serve to distract them from the other human hungers which bread and circuses can never appease." – Cicero
Spot on.
Because blaming social media and junk food is just externalising the problem isn't it?
Don't like the toxicity of social media? Spending too much time doomscrolling? Just apply some mindfulness. Timebox your usage. Find something more interesting to do. Call someone close you've not spoken to for a long time.
Hate junk food but can't stop? Apply some mindfulness. Buy less so that you don't see it around the house. Replace it with healthier alternatives so that you can only eat those. Stop watching media that tries to convince you it's okay.
I know, there's a lot of money put into influencing and brianwashing us otherwise. Sometimes it's hard to stop from individual effort alone.
But that's exactly what having freedom means, isn't it? The exercise of it is not always easy. But the best things in life are hard-won, and savoured due to that.
Day 945 - Sleeping well is easy - https://golifelog.com/posts/sleeping-well-is-easy-1691027005803
Sleeping well is easy. If it's your priority.
I've started sleep biohacking since Jan 2020. That's more than 3 years now. I've done it all – supplements, managing blue light, wind down rituals, diet, fluid intake control, sleep tracking, etc. And even after 3 years, it's still a challenge to get good sleep. I've always said it's an infinite game. But recently I'm learning there's a nuance to that. Maybe it's can be a lot less infinite as a game... if my other priorities in life are in sync with my sleep goals.
So it's less about the *how*, the habits, the hacks, the routines m the knowledge, the tools. Yes, those help. A lot in some cases. But they all pale in impact compared to placing sleep as a top priority in daily life.
The same way we don't forget to eat or drink. We don't question whether we prioritize food, because it's so fundamental to our well-being. But yet we do that to sleep, thinking we can get away with sacrificing some sleep some of the time, and after a while, chronically over a long period. But just like a diet of junk food is bad for health, so is a poor sleep management.
It's not about the *how*, but the *why*.
Because once my priorities are in sync, sleep habits are easy, and sleep scores of above 90% are a cakewalk.
Just like how I got 90% sleep score last night. I was feeling under the weather, and decided to prioritise sleep last night, sleeping in 8h even though that meant I had to wake up late at 6.40am. Getting that sleep score—and quantity + quality sleep—was so easy. It all pivoted on a single decision. No special hacks required. I did nothing out of my usual routine.
Awesome, rejuvenating, life-affirming sleep is available to me at the drop of a hat. Tonight. I don't have to work for it. I just need to see it as ***important*** and prioritise it.
And that about sums up my struggles with sleep biohacking.
It's a negotiable when placed next to other priorities in life – family, indie hacking, work.
The day I can switch my age old mindset to seeing it as a non-negotiable, is when my work for sleep biohacking is done.
Till then, it's this mindset that needs much work.
I've started sleep biohacking since Jan 2020. That's more than 3 years now. I've done it all – supplements, managing blue light, wind down rituals, diet, fluid intake control, sleep tracking, etc. And even after 3 years, it's still a challenge to get good sleep. I've always said it's an infinite game. But recently I'm learning there's a nuance to that. Maybe it's can be a lot less infinite as a game... if my other priorities in life are in sync with my sleep goals.
So it's less about the *how*, the habits, the hacks, the routines m the knowledge, the tools. Yes, those help. A lot in some cases. But they all pale in impact compared to placing sleep as a top priority in daily life.
The same way we don't forget to eat or drink. We don't question whether we prioritize food, because it's so fundamental to our well-being. But yet we do that to sleep, thinking we can get away with sacrificing some sleep some of the time, and after a while, chronically over a long period. But just like a diet of junk food is bad for health, so is a poor sleep management.
It's not about the *how*, but the *why*.
Because once my priorities are in sync, sleep habits are easy, and sleep scores of above 90% are a cakewalk.
Just like how I got 90% sleep score last night. I was feeling under the weather, and decided to prioritise sleep last night, sleeping in 8h even though that meant I had to wake up late at 6.40am. Getting that sleep score—and quantity + quality sleep—was so easy. It all pivoted on a single decision. No special hacks required. I did nothing out of my usual routine.
Awesome, rejuvenating, life-affirming sleep is available to me at the drop of a hat. Tonight. I don't have to work for it. I just need to see it as ***important*** and prioritise it.
And that about sums up my struggles with sleep biohacking.
It's a negotiable when placed next to other priorities in life – family, indie hacking, work.
The day I can switch my age old mindset to seeing it as a non-negotiable, is when my work for sleep biohacking is done.
Till then, it's this mindset that needs much work.
oh wow biphasic sleeping has a long history. maybe its not such a bad thing afterall, i should stop wasting hours trying to get back into sleep at night.
getting 8h consistently is a superpower. i try prioritizing sleep and somehow end up waking up after 3h hours, and i'd have to get another 3-4 h block of sleep later.
Day 944 - Sacrifice - https://golifelog.com/posts/sacrifice-1690944625864
> There is nothing great about working hard on a hopeless cause. You are not a better person because you are suffering more. Sacrifices can be necessary, but many assume that making sacrifices means they should be rewarded. There is nothing more common than useless sacrifices. – [@orangebook_](https://twitter.com/orangebook_/status/1682709172104876032)
***I felt that.***
What we always hear: "Success requires sacrifice".
What we often extrapolate wrong: "Sacrifice causes success."
Because if you're making sacrifices on the wrong thing, no amount of matrydom will get you to the success you seek. But when you hit on the right thing, you'll be sure you need to hustle hard and sacrifice something to get to the success you seek.
Sacrifice is an effect of a good opportunity, not a cause.
So **be lazy**. Wonder and wander. Window shop around. Don't leap into action and hunker down to work too soon. Work effectively.
The problem for me was when I started out, my spider sense for what's a good opportunity was ways off. I didn't know how to tell what good looks like. So everything became a good opportunity. Which led to too many failed attempts, lost time, wasted effort, and ultimately, burnout.
So in a way, doing it the wrong way, thinking that "sacrifice causes success" is a rite of passage. Without the painful lessons, it's hard to develop that spider sense of opportunities.
But it would have certainly helped if I knew this beforehand.
Success leads to sacrifice, not the other way.
***I felt that.***
What we always hear: "Success requires sacrifice".
What we often extrapolate wrong: "Sacrifice causes success."
Because if you're making sacrifices on the wrong thing, no amount of matrydom will get you to the success you seek. But when you hit on the right thing, you'll be sure you need to hustle hard and sacrifice something to get to the success you seek.
Sacrifice is an effect of a good opportunity, not a cause.
So **be lazy**. Wonder and wander. Window shop around. Don't leap into action and hunker down to work too soon. Work effectively.
The problem for me was when I started out, my spider sense for what's a good opportunity was ways off. I didn't know how to tell what good looks like. So everything became a good opportunity. Which led to too many failed attempts, lost time, wasted effort, and ultimately, burnout.
So in a way, doing it the wrong way, thinking that "sacrifice causes success" is a rite of passage. Without the painful lessons, it's hard to develop that spider sense of opportunities.
But it would have certainly helped if I knew this beforehand.
Success leads to sacrifice, not the other way.
Jason Leow
Author
Yep that's the first step, though i suspect the more experienced ones seem to be able to tell a good one faster, and so reduce their time kissing each frog…
Thank you for the reminder! I definitely needed this this morning. #shinyobjectsyndrome and I am guilty of that.
Day 943 - August 2023 goals - https://golifelog.com/posts/august-2023-goals-1690881133769
August might just be the break I was hurting for in a while. Not a break as in for rest, but for work.
Since consulting gigs started in May, I've been super busy. Most days, I felt like I was working two jobs! One at my client's office, and another in the early morning or late evenings at home.
It's been hectic, to say the least.
Happy problem though. And I'm grateful for the consulting. But ever since I got some new ideas for new indie products, I've been dying to build and ship them.
With some consulting projects tapering off and new ones yet to start, August is looking promising to go full-on for indie hacking. And since I'm done quite some exploring in July, I'm feeling ready to get started on building and shipping. I still want to keep an eye out for new ideas though. But something has to start.
Something. *Anything.*
I don't want to put any hard metrics or deadlines on here since it's more about intentions, but I'll be happy to get at least one product out in the wild!
Onwards to August!
Since consulting gigs started in May, I've been super busy. Most days, I felt like I was working two jobs! One at my client's office, and another in the early morning or late evenings at home.
It's been hectic, to say the least.
Happy problem though. And I'm grateful for the consulting. But ever since I got some new ideas for new indie products, I've been dying to build and ship them.
With some consulting projects tapering off and new ones yet to start, August is looking promising to go full-on for indie hacking. And since I'm done quite some exploring in July, I'm feeling ready to get started on building and shipping. I still want to keep an eye out for new ideas though. But something has to start.
Something. *Anything.*
I don't want to put any hard metrics or deadlines on here since it's more about intentions, but I'll be happy to get at least one product out in the wild!
Onwards to August!
Day 942 - July 2023 wrap-up - https://golifelog.com/posts/july-2023-wrap-up-1690806196589
To overcome my chronic overthinking, I started July with the intention to say "F**k it I'm doing it" at least once a week. I think myself out of a business, basically. Instead I wanted to be hungrier, on an instinctual level.
Ship more, think less.
But I got way ahead of myself. I had hacker's block. I needed to get out of exploitation mode and back into exploration mode first, before I can ship fast.
Which was what I did.
I explored ideas, browsed idea newsletters, bookmarked articles. Now I got a few nice ones I want to bite into.
Maybe that intention for July was really meant for August. Glad I went with what I needed intuitively rather than forcing myself into something I wasn't ready for.
Onwards to August!
---
JULY 2023 METRICS
– Revenue:
- Current MRR (all from Lifelog): $119 (•$0)
- One-off revenue: $1080 (↑$152)
- Total revenue: $1199 (↑$152) 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 5th month in a row!
- Total costs = $170
- Total profit: $1029 (↑$152) (excl. consulting revenue)
- Profit margin: 86%
Twitter
Followers: 7317 vs 7789 (↑472)
Emails: 308 vs 278 (↑30) subscribers
Tweet impressions: 1.84M vs 924k
Profile visits: 26.6k vs 27k
Engagement rate: 1.6% vs 2.1%
Ship more, think less.
But I got way ahead of myself. I had hacker's block. I needed to get out of exploitation mode and back into exploration mode first, before I can ship fast.
Which was what I did.
I explored ideas, browsed idea newsletters, bookmarked articles. Now I got a few nice ones I want to bite into.
Maybe that intention for July was really meant for August. Glad I went with what I needed intuitively rather than forcing myself into something I wasn't ready for.
Onwards to August!
---
JULY 2023 METRICS
– Revenue:
- Current MRR (all from Lifelog): $119 (•$0)
- One-off revenue: $1080 (↑$152)
- Total revenue: $1199 (↑$152) 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 5th month in a row!
- Total costs = $170
- Total profit: $1029 (↑$152) (excl. consulting revenue)
- Profit margin: 86%
Followers: 7317 vs 7789 (↑472)
Emails: 308 vs 278 (↑30) subscribers
Tweet impressions: 1.84M vs 924k
Profile visits: 26.6k vs 27k
Engagement rate: 1.6% vs 2.1%
Deployed fix for error "execute appendChild on node" on /write page where it renders the page blank, due to weird html probably.. hope no one saw it 😅
🛳 Deployed to Heroku all the features I made over the weekend - toggle switch for md/rich text editor, and image uploader
🍟 Side project weekend: Added image upload feature to markdown editor
- Added image upload feature via ImgBB to /write page on md snackbar editor.
- Added insert direct img link feature to /write page on md snackbar editor.
- Fixed issue of spurious clicks on md snackbar editor due to tooltip showing up as a link.
- Added insert direct img link feature to /write page on md snackbar editor.
- Fixed issue of spurious clicks on md snackbar editor due to tooltip showing up as a link.
Day 941 - Nuance nuance nuance - https://golifelog.com/posts/nuance-nuance-nuance-1690701672995
Over time I realised my most important lessons in indie hacking are about busting either/or myths, and learning nuance to mainstream advice. Here's some:
### Diversified enough to survive, focused enough to matter.
This settles the portfolio of small bets versus focus on one thing. It's not one or the other. You need both. How much of both? Just enough diversity to survive unknown unknown events, but not so many that it breaks your focus.
### Working hard on the things that truly move the needle, slacking off on the things that don't.
This is about being strategically incompetent. Even if you're an A player, you don't have to play the A game in *everything* that the product needs. It's about priorities, and also about knowing how to drop or quit pushing certain things. Sometimes you can leave fires burning, but the product still grows.
### Long term opportunities for steady cash flow, short term opportunities for fun and profit.
I wrote about this [yesterday](https://golifelog.com/posts/short-lived-opportunities-1690621132825). Sometimes going for short-lived but viral opportunities can be beneficial and fun too. Long term ideas are not objectively better than short term ones.
### Contented enough to be happy, dissatisfied enough to hustle.
This an important tightrope dance for me, a work-in-progress. I know being dissatisfied with my product, progress, or skills pushes me to work harder and grow. But too much self-inflicted bashing is also not healthy. I want to live a fulfilled, contented life on a day-to-day basis, yet also be aware and driven enough to improve and make changes.
### Confident enough to celebrate your effort and skill, humble enough to know much luck was involved.
I think in the startup world people like to say they can "make their own luck". I believe we can, but it's a lot less than we think. And there's a lot more luck outside of our influence and awareness than we like to give it. It takes a certain humility to admit that you're not totally in control. It's not just about moral positions either – it's practical and healthy for the mind to be able to recognise that, so that our expectations are more realistic.
*What other nuances did you learn along your indie journey?*
### Diversified enough to survive, focused enough to matter.
This settles the portfolio of small bets versus focus on one thing. It's not one or the other. You need both. How much of both? Just enough diversity to survive unknown unknown events, but not so many that it breaks your focus.
### Working hard on the things that truly move the needle, slacking off on the things that don't.
This is about being strategically incompetent. Even if you're an A player, you don't have to play the A game in *everything* that the product needs. It's about priorities, and also about knowing how to drop or quit pushing certain things. Sometimes you can leave fires burning, but the product still grows.
### Long term opportunities for steady cash flow, short term opportunities for fun and profit.
I wrote about this [yesterday](https://golifelog.com/posts/short-lived-opportunities-1690621132825). Sometimes going for short-lived but viral opportunities can be beneficial and fun too. Long term ideas are not objectively better than short term ones.
### Contented enough to be happy, dissatisfied enough to hustle.
This an important tightrope dance for me, a work-in-progress. I know being dissatisfied with my product, progress, or skills pushes me to work harder and grow. But too much self-inflicted bashing is also not healthy. I want to live a fulfilled, contented life on a day-to-day basis, yet also be aware and driven enough to improve and make changes.
### Confident enough to celebrate your effort and skill, humble enough to know much luck was involved.
I think in the startup world people like to say they can "make their own luck". I believe we can, but it's a lot less than we think. And there's a lot more luck outside of our influence and awareness than we like to give it. It takes a certain humility to admit that you're not totally in control. It's not just about moral positions either – it's practical and healthy for the mind to be able to recognise that, so that our expectations are more realistic.
*What other nuances did you learn along your indie journey?*
Day 940 - Short-lived opportunities - https://golifelog.com/posts/short-lived-opportunities-1690621132825
I used to be biased towards product ideas that are long term, 'sustainable' or something I can work on and grow for a long time. So I scoff at trends and fads, and tend to be kind of a snob at those who bandwagon on shiny new tech.
> You can spend years looking for a product idea that has no platform risk. Or you can identify painful problems fast, build fast, ship fast, and capture some values where still possible. Then move on to the next thing ✌️ – [@tdinh_me](https://twitter.com/tdinh_me/status/1684857544009994241)
But recently I'm coming round to a more nuanced view. I realised I'm excluding myself from a whole world of good but short-lived opportunities, all because of a narrative that just because it's short term it's lesser.
Truth is, longer term, sustainable ideas are not objectively or morally better than the short-lived and spiky viral ones.
They're just... different, just as we can enjoy the consistency of the sun rising every morning, but also love watching bursts of fire works that's gone in 60 seconds.
I think deep down in my psyche there's some sort of a wraped belief that sticking to something lasting is better. Like getting married to your product. The One True product that you can love and work on for the rest of your life.
When I write it this way to mirror it back at myself, it gets poignantly clear – I am **wrong**.
So comically wrong.
And it's not a false dichotomy either. It's not *either* long term product *or* all short term products.
*Why not both?*
A mix of both. Some longer term ones that's hardy like a workhorse, flourishing like a cash cow. And the others can be fleeting, opportunistic, bright sparks of joy and money.
Both can be just as lucrative but over different timespans.
Both can be just as fun to work on.
Both are just as good as any other opportunity the world has to offer.
> You can spend years looking for a product idea that has no platform risk. Or you can identify painful problems fast, build fast, ship fast, and capture some values where still possible. Then move on to the next thing ✌️ – [@tdinh_me](https://twitter.com/tdinh_me/status/1684857544009994241)
But recently I'm coming round to a more nuanced view. I realised I'm excluding myself from a whole world of good but short-lived opportunities, all because of a narrative that just because it's short term it's lesser.
Truth is, longer term, sustainable ideas are not objectively or morally better than the short-lived and spiky viral ones.
They're just... different, just as we can enjoy the consistency of the sun rising every morning, but also love watching bursts of fire works that's gone in 60 seconds.
I think deep down in my psyche there's some sort of a wraped belief that sticking to something lasting is better. Like getting married to your product. The One True product that you can love and work on for the rest of your life.
When I write it this way to mirror it back at myself, it gets poignantly clear – I am **wrong**.
So comically wrong.
And it's not a false dichotomy either. It's not *either* long term product *or* all short term products.
*Why not both?*
A mix of both. Some longer term ones that's hardy like a workhorse, flourishing like a cash cow. And the others can be fleeting, opportunistic, bright sparks of joy and money.
Both can be just as lucrative but over different timespans.
Both can be just as fun to work on.
Both are just as good as any other opportunity the world has to offer.
🍟 Side project weekend: Added toggle switch for rich text editor and saving preference for md vs rich text editor
- Added toggle switch for rich text editor to /write and /compose page.
- Added ability to save default preference for rich text or md editor using localStorage.
- Change write button on navbar to open /compose or /write page based on saved default in localStorage.
- Added ability to save default preference for rich text or md editor using localStorage.
- Change write button on navbar to open /compose or /write page based on saved default in localStorage.
Day 939 - F**k frameworks - https://golifelog.com/posts/fk-frameworks-1690501280287
I tried to yarn create nuxt-app yesterday, and was met with a whole lot of complaints by the terminal. Unmet dependencies this, critical errors that. You need to update this, you need to download that. Amongst a whole host of annoying barriers to setting up.
That's so f**king annoying.
That's my least favourite part of using modern frameworks. Too much shit going on just to start. I remember back when I started using frameworks, just having to install and set up a whole host of stuff—node, npm, VSCode, extensions—was enough to make me want to quit. Yesterday's experience was reminiscient of that.
I just want to have a developer experience like how I develop my plugins.
Standard issue HTML and CSS, with plain vanilla Javascript. Nothing to install or download. Works right away in the browser. If I need to pull in a library for some styling, I use the cloud option. Just throw in the script tag, and we're off. If I want to use a Javascript framework, I use Vue.js on CDN.
Literally ZERO barriers to start.
I know I know... the veterans will say I'll hit some ceiling with that kind of stack. But ceilings are artificial. That's why people create new frameworks and technology stacks to get away from the contraints of predecessors.
Maybe it's time to *really* check out things like [htmx](https://htmx.org/) or [the stackless way](https://tutorials.yax.com/articles/build-websites-the-yax-way/quicktakes/what-is-the-yax-way.html):
> - You can go far without a framework.
> - Build tools are a burden.
> - Routing sucks.
> - JAMstack doesn't always need build tools.
> - The platform is evergreen.
This ain't the first time I'm complaining about modern Javascript frameworks. And it sure won't be the last.
That's so f**king annoying.
That's my least favourite part of using modern frameworks. Too much shit going on just to start. I remember back when I started using frameworks, just having to install and set up a whole host of stuff—node, npm, VSCode, extensions—was enough to make me want to quit. Yesterday's experience was reminiscient of that.
I just want to have a developer experience like how I develop my plugins.
Standard issue HTML and CSS, with plain vanilla Javascript. Nothing to install or download. Works right away in the browser. If I need to pull in a library for some styling, I use the cloud option. Just throw in the script tag, and we're off. If I want to use a Javascript framework, I use Vue.js on CDN.
Literally ZERO barriers to start.
I know I know... the veterans will say I'll hit some ceiling with that kind of stack. But ceilings are artificial. That's why people create new frameworks and technology stacks to get away from the contraints of predecessors.
Maybe it's time to *really* check out things like [htmx](https://htmx.org/) or [the stackless way](https://tutorials.yax.com/articles/build-websites-the-yax-way/quicktakes/what-is-the-yax-way.html):
> - You can go far without a framework.
> - Build tools are a burden.
> - Routing sucks.
> - JAMstack doesn't always need build tools.
> - The platform is evergreen.
This ain't the first time I'm complaining about modern Javascript frameworks. And it sure won't be the last.
Day 938 - Weird Youtube hobby - https://golifelog.com/posts/weird-youtube-hobby-1690449648377
I've got a weird Youtube hobby. I love watching travel Youtube videos of people's first time in Singapore, where I live. Yes, sometimes I do watch travel vids of other countries, or places I would like to visit. But not nearly as much or with as much interest as travel vids of Singapore.
Even when I was able to travel freely pre-covd era, I still enjoyed watching travel vids of Singapore.
On the surface, it's definitely nice to watch tourists marvel and say nice things about Singapore. But what's even more fun was to live vicariously through their eyes, to see my home country in a light I don't always get to see, because we all get numb to the things we see and touch everyday.
It's like, a different way to practice gratitude. For being able to live in a place where others can find joy and magic in. Even if you no longer do.
The foods that light a fire in their eyes. And their belly.
The honest folks preparing those foods being helpful to them.
The ease and fearlessness they can move around in the city.
I tend to forget all these.
There's nothing like outsiders to help remind me of all that.
Grateful.
Even when I was able to travel freely pre-covd era, I still enjoyed watching travel vids of Singapore.
On the surface, it's definitely nice to watch tourists marvel and say nice things about Singapore. But what's even more fun was to live vicariously through their eyes, to see my home country in a light I don't always get to see, because we all get numb to the things we see and touch everyday.
It's like, a different way to practice gratitude. For being able to live in a place where others can find joy and magic in. Even if you no longer do.
The foods that light a fire in their eyes. And their belly.
The honest folks preparing those foods being helpful to them.
The ease and fearlessness they can move around in the city.
I tend to forget all these.
There's nothing like outsiders to help remind me of all that.
Grateful.
Day 937 - Consulting vs indie hacking - https://golifelog.com/posts/consulting-vs-indie-hacking-1690340440000
Most days I'm grateful for my consulting work. It's meaningful, does social good, and pays the bills.
But on other days, I feel held back by it.
I was inspired to make the [animated chart gif generator idea](https://golifelog.com/posts/product-idea-animated-chart-gif-generator-for-twitter-1689904564092) and been trying to start it for some weeks now, but with ongoing consulting projects, it's hard to even sit down to get started.
I'm still grateful for the ability it gives me to feed my family. But sometimes can't help but feel like my progress could be so much faster if I could focus.
With consulting and freelancing, your runway is theoretically infinite, it reduces the stress of survival, but it takes time away from your indie products. It's hardest when inspiration clashes with commitment.
With just indie hacking, I get so much freedom for my health, time, and creative autonomy. But it can't feed my family yet. It would be so stressful to depend on it.
Pros and cons, hard trade-offs I guess.
Only just yesterday I managed to close one project with the client. There's still one onoing, and another one coming up in Q3. So there's a bit of breathing room now.
Relieved, yet excited to finally get started on yet another new product!
But on other days, I feel held back by it.
I was inspired to make the [animated chart gif generator idea](https://golifelog.com/posts/product-idea-animated-chart-gif-generator-for-twitter-1689904564092) and been trying to start it for some weeks now, but with ongoing consulting projects, it's hard to even sit down to get started.
I'm still grateful for the ability it gives me to feed my family. But sometimes can't help but feel like my progress could be so much faster if I could focus.
With consulting and freelancing, your runway is theoretically infinite, it reduces the stress of survival, but it takes time away from your indie products. It's hardest when inspiration clashes with commitment.
With just indie hacking, I get so much freedom for my health, time, and creative autonomy. But it can't feed my family yet. It would be so stressful to depend on it.
Pros and cons, hard trade-offs I guess.
Only just yesterday I managed to close one project with the client. There's still one onoing, and another one coming up in Q3. So there's a bit of breathing room now.
Relieved, yet excited to finally get started on yet another new product!
Day 936 - Twitter → 𝕏 - https://golifelog.com/posts/twitter-x-1690235891623
The end of an era. Sigh.
I know, I know. Change is the only constant. Yet it's never easy when it actually happens. I tweeted out my first tweet on 6 Nov 2014, got more serious about it in the past few years.
It's been almost a decade on the platform. And while my usage on other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram had only ever downtrended, I've only ever increased my usage on Twitter. That says a lot about the staying power. At least for me. Because posting updates on my life, vanity selfies and all doesn't last. Having practical utility from peer support and collective learning is more sustaining. I don't think I will ever stop needing to learn how to indie hack – there's new things to pick up at every stage, and there will be always new people to learn from.
While these changes on the platform are unsettling, I hope they don't kill the community aspect of it. The really smart people are still here, but many are leaving. I hope the exodus will be stemmed somehow even through the chaos of Elon Musk trying to find profitability for the app.
Right now, I'm looking forward to staying on the platform for the peer learning.
By the way, some semantic woes:
What do we call tweets now? Xaps (like zaps)?
Are we all ex-es to each other now?
How weird if to say, "Oh I saw it on 𝕏"...
🤣
I know, I know. Change is the only constant. Yet it's never easy when it actually happens. I tweeted out my first tweet on 6 Nov 2014, got more serious about it in the past few years.
It's been almost a decade on the platform. And while my usage on other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram had only ever downtrended, I've only ever increased my usage on Twitter. That says a lot about the staying power. At least for me. Because posting updates on my life, vanity selfies and all doesn't last. Having practical utility from peer support and collective learning is more sustaining. I don't think I will ever stop needing to learn how to indie hack – there's new things to pick up at every stage, and there will be always new people to learn from.
While these changes on the platform are unsettling, I hope they don't kill the community aspect of it. The really smart people are still here, but many are leaving. I hope the exodus will be stemmed somehow even through the chaos of Elon Musk trying to find profitability for the app.
Right now, I'm looking forward to staying on the platform for the peer learning.
By the way, some semantic woes:
What do we call tweets now? Xaps (like zaps)?
Are we all ex-es to each other now?
How weird if to say, "Oh I saw it on 𝕏"...
🤣
Deployed fix for typing sounds on new rich text editor
Had to figure out how to use `editor.on` from TinyMCE instead to listen for the keydown event.
editor.on('keydown', this.playSound)
editor.on('keydown', this.playSound)
Day 935 - Reading: Virtue or vice? - https://golifelog.com/posts/reading-virtue-or-vice-1690154915762
I love reading. I love books. I feel people in general could read more. People seem to stop reading altogether after they stop school, which is a shame.
But are books and reading really such a universal good that it can do no wrong?
Yes. Any virtue in excess, practised to extremes becomes vice.
Thrift in excess becomes cheapskate.
Reading in excess becomes intellectual vanity.
Reading in excess becomes intellectual vanity.
Like how this [tweet](https://twitter.com/levelsio/status/1682876856347815938) triggered a wave of counter comments why something as good as reading gets hate:
It's not hate for reading itself. It's how you use reading as a habit.
There's reading for practical application, for learning and chasing curiosity, for just the fun of it, and there's performative reading for vanity metrics, for the 'gram. Inferring from that photo, if you're reading 1 entrepreneur/productivity book per week for one year and defending that you're reading to apply it and learn, who are you kidding? How much can you apply from spending 1 book per week? The hard limit here is our time. How much time is left to apply all those lessons after reading *1 book per week*? Any application is likely superficial.
And let's face it: If you're reading those kind of (non-fiction) books, it's likely you're reading it to reach a goal. Maybe you want to be an entrepreneur. Maybe you have a goal to start a business, or if you started one, you're hoping to reach some level of profitability. Reading 1 book a week won't get you there.
Look, I'm all for reading. Like I said I love to read and I love books. If you read for fun, knock yourself out. But if you're reading to help you reach a goal like to be an entrepreneur, maybe like, apply some moderation instead?
Read a few good ones, apply it, and spend the rest of the time executing like hell. Then come back to reading and learning where you feel your knowledge falls short.
Entrepreneurship isn't an academic, theory-based vocation. It's a practitioner-/skills-based, pragmatic vocation.
Taking advice or reference from your business professors in a university ain't gonna cut it.
But are books and reading really such a universal good that it can do no wrong?
Yes. Any virtue in excess, practised to extremes becomes vice.
Thrift in excess becomes cheapskate.
Reading in excess becomes intellectual vanity.
Reading in excess becomes intellectual vanity.
Like how this [tweet](https://twitter.com/levelsio/status/1682876856347815938) triggered a wave of counter comments why something as good as reading gets hate:
It's not hate for reading itself. It's how you use reading as a habit.
There's reading for practical application, for learning and chasing curiosity, for just the fun of it, and there's performative reading for vanity metrics, for the 'gram. Inferring from that photo, if you're reading 1 entrepreneur/productivity book per week for one year and defending that you're reading to apply it and learn, who are you kidding? How much can you apply from spending 1 book per week? The hard limit here is our time. How much time is left to apply all those lessons after reading *1 book per week*? Any application is likely superficial.
And let's face it: If you're reading those kind of (non-fiction) books, it's likely you're reading it to reach a goal. Maybe you want to be an entrepreneur. Maybe you have a goal to start a business, or if you started one, you're hoping to reach some level of profitability. Reading 1 book a week won't get you there.
Look, I'm all for reading. Like I said I love to read and I love books. If you read for fun, knock yourself out. But if you're reading to help you reach a goal like to be an entrepreneur, maybe like, apply some moderation instead?
Read a few good ones, apply it, and spend the rest of the time executing like hell. Then come back to reading and learning where you feel your knowledge falls short.
Entrepreneurship isn't an academic, theory-based vocation. It's a practitioner-/skills-based, pragmatic vocation.
Taking advice or reference from your business professors in a university ain't gonna cut it.
Day 934 - Luck razor and other unconventional razors to follow - https://golifelog.com/posts/luck-razor-and-other-unconventional-razors-to-follow-1690078959401
Saw this list of unconventional philosophical razors on Facebook, and immediately thought of applying some of them to indie hacking:
"In philosophy, a razor is a principle or rule of thumb that allows one to eliminate (“shave off”) unlikely explanations for a phenomenon, or avoid unnecessary actions." – Wikipedia
Bragging Razor - If someone brags about their success or happiness, assume it’s half what they claim. If someone downplays their success or happiness, assume it’s double what they claim.
Great principle to use when reading tweets. It’s almost always overplayed or downplayed, and assuming 2x more or less is helpful.
High Agency Razor - If unsure who to work with, pick the person that has the best chances of breaking you out of a 3rd world prison.
I like this one, especially when collaborating. Even better for co-founders. If you get a low agency person, chances are, you’ll have to high carry the team through. In a startup, you can’t have deadweight.
The Early-Late Razor - If it’s a talking point on Reddit, you might be early. If it’s a talking point on LinkedIn, you’re definitely late.
I think Twitter is somewhere in the middle between Reddit and LinkedIn. Sometimes you don’t know if something on Reddit is too fringe to take off. But once it takes off on Twitter, you can be pretty sure it’ll take off soon elsewhere. E.g. AI, ChatGPT. It was months after the Twitter threadbois had done “ChatGPT is the next big thing” to death before I started seeing them on LinkedIn.
Luck Razor - If stuck with 2 equal options, pick the one that feels like it will produce the most luck later down the line. I used this razor to go for drinks with a stranger rather than watch Netflix. In hindsight, it was the highest ROI decision I’ve ever made.
So true. My favourite razor out of the whole list. This applies to products too. And marketing approaches. Between 2 equal options, choose to make a product that gives more luck surface area. Or make a feature that produces potentially more luck surface area. Like how Mailchimp had referral badges at the bottom of every email sent out by their users.
Taleb’s Surgeon - If presented with two equal candidates for a role, pick the one with the least amount of charisma. The uncharismatic one has got there despite their lack of charisma. The charismatic one has got there with the aid of their charisma.
As a manager, I once hired an extroverted, smooth-talking junior executive over a more reserved one. But they both made it to the final round. We chose the former, and the latter’s resume got picked up by another team. We had the benefit of observing how both worked even though we didn’t hire one of them, and ended up regretting.
What other unconventional razors do you use?
"In philosophy, a razor is a principle or rule of thumb that allows one to eliminate (“shave off”) unlikely explanations for a phenomenon, or avoid unnecessary actions." – Wikipedia
Bragging Razor - If someone brags about their success or happiness, assume it’s half what they claim. If someone downplays their success or happiness, assume it’s double what they claim.
Great principle to use when reading tweets. It’s almost always overplayed or downplayed, and assuming 2x more or less is helpful.
High Agency Razor - If unsure who to work with, pick the person that has the best chances of breaking you out of a 3rd world prison.
I like this one, especially when collaborating. Even better for co-founders. If you get a low agency person, chances are, you’ll have to high carry the team through. In a startup, you can’t have deadweight.
The Early-Late Razor - If it’s a talking point on Reddit, you might be early. If it’s a talking point on LinkedIn, you’re definitely late.
I think Twitter is somewhere in the middle between Reddit and LinkedIn. Sometimes you don’t know if something on Reddit is too fringe to take off. But once it takes off on Twitter, you can be pretty sure it’ll take off soon elsewhere. E.g. AI, ChatGPT. It was months after the Twitter threadbois had done “ChatGPT is the next big thing” to death before I started seeing them on LinkedIn.
Luck Razor - If stuck with 2 equal options, pick the one that feels like it will produce the most luck later down the line. I used this razor to go for drinks with a stranger rather than watch Netflix. In hindsight, it was the highest ROI decision I’ve ever made.
So true. My favourite razor out of the whole list. This applies to products too. And marketing approaches. Between 2 equal options, choose to make a product that gives more luck surface area. Or make a feature that produces potentially more luck surface area. Like how Mailchimp had referral badges at the bottom of every email sent out by their users.
Taleb’s Surgeon - If presented with two equal candidates for a role, pick the one with the least amount of charisma. The uncharismatic one has got there despite their lack of charisma. The charismatic one has got there with the aid of their charisma.
As a manager, I once hired an extroverted, smooth-talking junior executive over a more reserved one. But they both made it to the final round. We chose the former, and the latter’s resume got picked up by another team. We had the benefit of observing how both worked even though we didn’t hire one of them, and ended up regretting.
What other unconventional razors do you use?
Day 933 - Two deaths - https://golifelog.com/posts/two-deaths-1690014425233
> At a deathbed, if my patient can communicate, they show they’re dying two deaths: the one they’re dying & then the death of the life they really wanted to live. But in their dying, some are also free. To tell me who they are. What they wanted. Who they had to hide. Finally free. – [@jsparkblog](https://twitter.com/jsparkblog/status/1681807434044649472)
This really hit hard. I use Twitter mostly for indie hacking. All my follows are indies. But occasionally you come across an account that's pure light. This is one such account. Of a Korean American as a hospital chaplain. A hospital chaplain offers spiritual guidance and pastoral care to patients and their families as patients are near their end. Compared to his tweets, my indie tweets feel crude and superficial.
Back to the heavy tweet...
It reminded me of the famous saying by Confucius:
> “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
If you never had a chance to live that said second life, you have two deaths waiting for you. The physical death and the death of a life which you never lived out.
I think this about sums up all my striving. Why I work so damn hard to fulfil my dreams. Not just indie hacking, not just revenue milestones, not just profitable products, but all the freedoms I seek – [health](https://golifelog.com/posts/health-freedom-1689728459633), time, location, creative freedom. And everything else too - falling in love, having a family, being present to my child, caring for my parents, traveling and seeing the world. If I don't do all those, I risk dying two deaths. And I'm mortally afraid of that. We don't know if we get another chance after this life ends.
So the ultimate endgame for me, is that I die only one death at the end.
That would be the dream.
This really hit hard. I use Twitter mostly for indie hacking. All my follows are indies. But occasionally you come across an account that's pure light. This is one such account. Of a Korean American as a hospital chaplain. A hospital chaplain offers spiritual guidance and pastoral care to patients and their families as patients are near their end. Compared to his tweets, my indie tweets feel crude and superficial.
Back to the heavy tweet...
It reminded me of the famous saying by Confucius:
> “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
If you never had a chance to live that said second life, you have two deaths waiting for you. The physical death and the death of a life which you never lived out.
I think this about sums up all my striving. Why I work so damn hard to fulfil my dreams. Not just indie hacking, not just revenue milestones, not just profitable products, but all the freedoms I seek – [health](https://golifelog.com/posts/health-freedom-1689728459633), time, location, creative freedom. And everything else too - falling in love, having a family, being present to my child, caring for my parents, traveling and seeing the world. If I don't do all those, I risk dying two deaths. And I'm mortally afraid of that. We don't know if we get another chance after this life ends.
So the ultimate endgame for me, is that I die only one death at the end.
That would be the dream.
Updated SMTP relay domain in Heroku API app from sendinblue to brevo - https://developers.brevo.com/docs/changes-in-smtp-relay-address
Day 932 - Product idea: Animated chart gif generator for Twitter - https://golifelog.com/posts/product-idea-animated-chart-gif-generator-for-twitter-1689904564092
Emerging trend I'm seeing: Creating sleek media for your tweets seems to be a thing now.
- [Typeframes](https://typeframes.com) creates stunning animated text videos for products
- [Screen Studio](https://www.screen.studio/) creates beautiful high quality screen recordings to demo your products
- [MRRartpro](http://mrrartpro.com) makes retro-nostalgic ASCII charts for Twitter, LinkedIn or text messages
- [Gifstat](https://gifstat.com) makes lovely gifs with animated number counters to show your stats
But this had been done for the longest time on websites already. Bar charts, line chart, pie charts, everything. Mainstream media websites would show data visualisations for trending topics of the season.
Maybe it's time to bring this into the hands of individual creators and indie hackers on Twitter?
**An animated chart gif generator for tweets.**
Every indie hacker shows line charts of their revenue. What if we could upload a spreadsheet or plug in to Stripe, and generate the data into this animated chart to create a gif that you can share on Twitter?
In fact, it doesn't have to be just for Twitter. It can be for LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook. Any social media platform. And it doesn't have to just be charts. It can be for any sort of data visualisation, even the fancier sorts like a bar chart race.
Chart.js is a Javascript library I can leverage on to create these animated charts. [Flourish](https://flourish.studio) is already doing this in a massive way, so maybe there's already demand. Something simple and clean like [Data Gif Maker by Google News Lab](https://datagifmaker.withgoogle.com/) would be awesome:
This might be a fun weekend side project to do. Targeted at my Twitter audience. No expectations, even if some revenue is nice. Best part, I will want to keep it going to use it for myself.
*What do you think? Got potential?*
- [Typeframes](https://typeframes.com) creates stunning animated text videos for products
- [Screen Studio](https://www.screen.studio/) creates beautiful high quality screen recordings to demo your products
- [MRRartpro](http://mrrartpro.com) makes retro-nostalgic ASCII charts for Twitter, LinkedIn or text messages
- [Gifstat](https://gifstat.com) makes lovely gifs with animated number counters to show your stats
But this had been done for the longest time on websites already. Bar charts, line chart, pie charts, everything. Mainstream media websites would show data visualisations for trending topics of the season.
Maybe it's time to bring this into the hands of individual creators and indie hackers on Twitter?
**An animated chart gif generator for tweets.**
Every indie hacker shows line charts of their revenue. What if we could upload a spreadsheet or plug in to Stripe, and generate the data into this animated chart to create a gif that you can share on Twitter?
In fact, it doesn't have to be just for Twitter. It can be for LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook. Any social media platform. And it doesn't have to just be charts. It can be for any sort of data visualisation, even the fancier sorts like a bar chart race.
Chart.js is a Javascript library I can leverage on to create these animated charts. [Flourish](https://flourish.studio) is already doing this in a massive way, so maybe there's already demand. Something simple and clean like [Data Gif Maker by Google News Lab](https://datagifmaker.withgoogle.com/) would be awesome:
This might be a fun weekend side project to do. Targeted at my Twitter audience. No expectations, even if some revenue is nice. Best part, I will want to keep it going to use it for myself.
*What do you think? Got potential?*
Day 931 - How to age well - https://golifelog.com/posts/how-to-age-well-1689814970952
Saw this on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/swyx/status/1369103809201328130), on how to play long term games with health. Basically, how to age well:
> - No alcohol
> - More water
> - 8hrs sleep
> - 10k steps
> - Less sugar
> - Varied vegetables
> - Intermittent fasting
> - Fit friends
> - Practice gratitude
> - Practice stoicism
> - Wear sunscreen
> - Moisturize face
> - Floss & Mouthwash
> - Personal trainer
>
> Source: Reddit [r/fatFIRE](https://www.reddit.com/r/fatFIRE/comments/m0fht9/how_to_age_better/)
It's an interesting list. I try to practice at least half of it. No alcohol, more water, more sleep, less sugar, varied vegetables, intermittent fasting, practice gratitude/stoicism – I do these relatively well, or at least I try to.
"10k steps" is something I always wanted but currently hard to do for me due to the nature of working on a computer. Still daydreaming of living in a cabin in the woods with high speed internet next to my plot of garden.
"Fit friends" was surprising because of the latter "friends" part. You are who you hang out with. We all want to be fit but having friends who are will be double the motivation, purely by osmosis.
Wear sunscreen, moisturize face, personal trainer feels more on the vanity side, not something I'd care much for other than the most essential.
What I would add to the list on how to age well:
- Eat more red meat and fats
- Watch those vitamins and minerals
- 90% sleep scores
- Lift your body weight
- Family love and support
- Make love
- Having purpose, in life and [work](https://golifelog.com/posts/keep-working-1689473845981)
- Avoid drama
- Have a spiritual practice
*What else would you add to the list on how to age well?*
> - No alcohol
> - More water
> - 8hrs sleep
> - 10k steps
> - Less sugar
> - Varied vegetables
> - Intermittent fasting
> - Fit friends
> - Practice gratitude
> - Practice stoicism
> - Wear sunscreen
> - Moisturize face
> - Floss & Mouthwash
> - Personal trainer
>
> Source: Reddit [r/fatFIRE](https://www.reddit.com/r/fatFIRE/comments/m0fht9/how_to_age_better/)
It's an interesting list. I try to practice at least half of it. No alcohol, more water, more sleep, less sugar, varied vegetables, intermittent fasting, practice gratitude/stoicism – I do these relatively well, or at least I try to.
"10k steps" is something I always wanted but currently hard to do for me due to the nature of working on a computer. Still daydreaming of living in a cabin in the woods with high speed internet next to my plot of garden.
"Fit friends" was surprising because of the latter "friends" part. You are who you hang out with. We all want to be fit but having friends who are will be double the motivation, purely by osmosis.
Wear sunscreen, moisturize face, personal trainer feels more on the vanity side, not something I'd care much for other than the most essential.
What I would add to the list on how to age well:
- Eat more red meat and fats
- Watch those vitamins and minerals
- 90% sleep scores
- Lift your body weight
- Family love and support
- Make love
- Having purpose, in life and [work](https://golifelog.com/posts/keep-working-1689473845981)
- Avoid drama
- Have a spiritual practice
*What else would you add to the list on how to age well?*